Endangerment Grade and Protection Priority of Rare Plant Species in Baohuashan National Forest Park, Jiangsu Province

Grading of rare plant species in endangerment is crucial to determination of priorities of their conservation at a regional level. Based on field surveys, 24 selected rare and wild plant species in the Baohuashan National Forest Park, Jiangsu Province in subtropical East China, were evaluated quantitatively in the light of the Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List. For each species, endangerment coefficient and protection priority value was calculated, and grade in endangerment and sequence in protection priority determined. Results show that (1) the protection priority values of those species ranged from 0.327 8 to 0.802 2; (2) the 24 species could be classified into 5 categories in endangerment, that is, 1 in Category EW (extinct in wild species), 2 in Category CR (critically endangered species), 11 in Category EN (endangered species), 7 in Category VU (vulnerable species), and 3 in Category NE (nearly endangered species); and (3) habitat fragmentation and human disturbance resulting from tourist activities are the two major threats to the protection of rare plants in this area. Therefore, it is essential and urgent to intensify the management of tourism and hence to reduce human disturbance, and keep regular monitoring of dynamics of the threatened plants. The measures will help exert effective protection of those plant species.